New Mexican Retablos with Charles M. Carrillo
Charles M. Carrillo in his booth at Traditional Spanish Market, Santa Fe, NM, July 2025
Maryhill Museum of Art welcomes santero Charles M. Carrillo to the museum to talk about saint-making in New Mexico and his own personal practice. He will paint a retablo and bring examples of other New Mexican retablos for visitors to see and handle.
This talk is free with registration. Admission to the museum is complimentary for attendees on the day of the event.
About the Artist, Charles M. Carrillo
Charles M. Carrillo, (b. 1956, Albuquerque, NM), is an artist, author, and archaeologist known particularly for creating art using Spanish colonial techniques that reflect 18th century Spanish New Mexico. Carrillo has blended craft, conservation, and innovation throughout his career as a santero — a carver and painter of images of saints. The depiction of saints for religious purposes dates to the 18th century in Hispanic New Mexican communities.
Carrillo’s work has shown throughout the country and is in many permanent collections in museums throughout the United States including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the Museum of International Folk Art, and the Denver Art Museum.
Carrillo is also the winner of many awards including the National Heritage Fellowship Award by the National Endowment for the Arts. He was featured on an episode of Craft In America, a nationwide television series that airs on Public Broadcasting Service.
Carrillo earned a doctorate in anthropology/archaeology from the University of New Mexico, but his true commitment to tradition has led him to work within the religious community of northern New Mexico as an artist and an advocate. A generous mentor, he has inspired numerous artists to pursue the native techniques, values, and devotional spirit of the santeros.
Awards and Honors
- National Heritage Award, National Endowment for the Arts
- Grand Prize, Santa Fe Spanish Market
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Spanish Colonial Arts 2006
- E Boyd Award, Santa Fe Spanish Market
- 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place Prizes – Retablos, Santa Fe Spanish Market
- Heritage Award, Santa Fe Spanish Market
- Mother Teresa Award 2005, Mother Teresa Awards
- Sacred Heart Award 2017, Gallup Cathedral
- Sacred Heart Award 2018, Gallup Cathedral
- Mayor Recognition Award for Excellence in the Arts 1995, City of Santa Fe
- 1995 Zia Award Alumni 2006, University of New Mexico
- Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Arts 1995, New Mexico Governor’s Awards
Carrillo holds a doctorate in anthropology / archaeology from the University of New Mexico, but his true commitment to tradition has led him to work as an artist and advocate within the religious community of northern New Mexico. As a generous mentor, he has inspired many artists to pursue the santeros’ native techniques, values, and devotional spirit.
On view at Maryhill Musuem of Art
Charles. M. Carrillo’s work Our Lady of Guadelupe is part of Maryhill Museum of Art’s contributions to Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide Semiquincentennial initiative to showcase the importance of the handmade both throughout our history and in contemporary life. It is on display in the current exhibition Russian Icons; New Mexican Bultos and Retablos. A large-scale photograph of the artwork, designed for close looking, is on display in the current exhibition Craft in America.
New Mexican Retablos with Charles M. Carrillo is underwritten by Alison Scott.
Image: Charles M. Carrillo (American, b. 1956), Our Lady of Guadalupe retablo, 2025, painted wood, 21½” x 11”; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art